Sakura's Decision! A Kunoichi is Born
by TheMadYad
Summary: Sasuske leaves, and Sakura is faced with depression. She realizes its time to grow up and take on the real responsibilities of a ninja.
1. Introduction

Sakura stiffened, he was right behind her

Sakura stiffened, he was right behind her. Why was she frightened? He was so close, she always wanted him close, but why did she feel so afraid? She felt his breath on her neck as he spoke, "Sakura, thank you, …for everything"

"…Sasuske…"

ooooooooooo

It took a long time for Sakura to wake up. Even though her body was telling her she needed to get up, she couldn't. She was conscious, but she couldn't move or think, she just lay on the stone bench, empty. Something was wrong, that much was obvious, but her brain wasn't letting her in on the secret. Her mind was trying to hold her back and draw her back into her sleep, to hold off the pain. Surely sleep would be better than knowing what happened. When the sunlight finally hit Sakura's face, she woke. Was it a nightmare? What was it that had her feeling like she just got the crap kicked out of her? _Did I hurt myself training yesterday?_ It took a moment for Sakura to understand where she was, but as soon as she recognized the bench she was lying on, the memories came flooding back. …. Sasuske. …. Sasuske, gone. _Sasuske left Konoha and is not going to come back. _The pain was immediate, and she fell into a waking nightmare.

ooooooooo

It took a while for Sakura to realize that being a vegetable was doing Sasuske no good. But how could she cope? She couldn't stop herself from thinking about him! _I need to get real! Naruto keeps getting hurt because of me! I can't hold my own on missions, especially if I can't focus on anything other than Sasuske_! …_Sasuske…_ Clearly, he wasn't going to come back, he was very determined to get revenge. If that was the case, sitting around crying was certainly no way to exist. Plus, Naruto seemed to think that if he could just bring Sasuske back to the village, some sense might be knocked back into him. Inner Sakura completely agreed with that, but she just couldn't bring herself to hope anymore. How could she? Rejection hurts so much. But, if Naruto went to get Sasuske, there was no way Sakura was sitting behind. _I'm done being useless. No wonder Sasuske thinks I'm annoying, I am! I can't do anything, all I do is watch Naruto throw himself into a battle just to protect me, or faint and fall over. How could anyone love me if I am just a useless lovesick puppy? Its time I grow up and become a real kunoichi. If I can learn to become a real ninja, who my teammates can rely on, I will be worthy of anyone's love!_

Sakura jumped up from the hospital chair in Naruto's room. She felt consumed with a burning fire. She felt determined, alive! Sakura's crippling depression was lifted. It felt like a physical burden was actually lifted off of her, and she had reason to live again.

When she finally got to Tsunade's office, she knew she had made the best decision, she could feel the rightness of her ambition. "Please make me your apprentice!"

Tsunade considered the girl. Kakashi told Tsunade long ago that she had flawless chakra control. Just looking at her Tsunade could see the passion in her, the determination. _Surely this is exactly the kind of ninja Konoha needs to become a medic._ "Haruno Sakura, Kakashi tells me you clearly have intelligence and courage. Very well. In return, know that I will be very strict."

"Yes!"

_Yes, she will be exceptional, this is just what we need right now. Shikamaru will be pleased._

oooooooooooooo

Sasuske couldn't breathe. He had to stop. What had he just done? _Why can't I give up this burden and be a normal person? I hate you Itachi! Even when I do get friends, I can't be with them because of what you did! And Sakura…. What have I done?_ Sasuske sunk to the ground, trying to control his emotions. If he was going to Orochimaru he had to get this under control, _now_. Sasuske considered his options. He could just stay in Konoha and become stronger with Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, but how strong would he get? Orochimaru definitely had more skills to offer. But, going to Orochimaru meant leaving those he had come to love. What of them? Team 7 had such a strong bond, how could he turn his back on such an intense union? And Sakura…. Oh Sakura, I'm so sorry. You just can't understand…. I can't take you with me. You mean too much to me, if you came along I would lose sight of my purpose. And if there was a battle, I would do anything to protect you, and if I died… I have to be the one. No one else has the power, no, the right, to stand up to Itachi.

Sasuske's breathing eventually returned to normal. He stood up. His mind was oddly clear - he had made his decision. He couldn't just ignore his brother, he needed to clear away his past. His recent conversation came trickling back into his mind, "…In the end, I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living." If he didn't avenge his clan, he would have nothing but broken relationships for as long as he lived. Even if he was happy, even if he was content not avenging his family, he would always know…. He would not disgrace his clan. Yes, he had decided. He felt empty, this path was a hard one, and what he told Sakura came slapping him back in the face. "I'm not the same as you. I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow."

He was alone.

He would always be alone.

Because of Itachi.

Passion flared suddenly in him. Hatred nearly consumed him and his sharingan actually activated from hate. _This must be what Naruto feels when he gets all worked up! I must defeat Itachi, then I can restore my relationships with the ones I love! Naruto, I won't let you down, Kakashi-sensei, I will make you proud! Sakura… I will make things right between us!_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto jolted awake and groaned. Something felt wrong, like his arms had been removed, or he had forgotten something important. He flipped on his side restlessly. What was it? _Maybe I had some bad ramen_ he thought, confused. But why did he feel so…. Frightened? Like a huge part of his life was just cut out of him? He sat up quickly. No, all his parts were still there and whole. _What's wrong with me? I must be crazy._ He fell back into his pillows, feeling distracted. He eventually fell back asleep, only to be woken up by Shikamaru.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 3 – Torture Training with Tsunade

Chapter 3 – Torture Training with Tsunade

Sakura yawned and rolled over. She cracked a bleary eye to look at the time, and nearly fell out of bed. She was already 5 minutes late! _Oh crap! _She thought_, I bet Tsunade is going to be really mad at me! Its my first day of training and I don't even have time for breakfast or anything!_ Sakura flipped out of her covers and quickly flung her clothes on, pausing to grab a candy bar to eat on the way. She ran the whole way to Tsunade's office, and arrived only 14 minutes late. She timidly cracked open the door, but Tsunade wasn't in her office. Confused, she walked in and looked around, before - **Wham**. The air rushed out of Sakura as something suspiciously like a pillow smashed into her chest. "You're late!" Tsunade barked, "You will help me with these documents for two hours and twenty minutes after training today. Next time you're late, it will be 15 minutes compensation for every one minute you miss, and it most certainly will not be paperwork every time. I am sure the janitors will like a break every now and then from scrubbing the toilets."

Sakura inhaled sharply through her nose, she tried to push down her dread and shame. No need to show that to Tsunade.

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou."

"Sakura, first thing I need to mention is your diet, it needs to change if you are going to pull through my training. _Blech,_ Your breath reeks of Snickers. See Shizune before you leave today for your new diet plan. Next, here are several scrolls I want you to learn for next week. This week we will hack out your physical training regimen, which you will practice every day, and after this week, independently. Now lets head to training ground 3."

Tsunade picked up a backpack and strode out of the office, motioning for Shizune to take her seat. Shizune glanced at Sakura, who looked a bit nervous, and smiled at her. _No need to warn her, it won't do her any good_, she thought grimly to herself. I hope she doesn't pass out or anything, or Tsunade will kill her. She looked down and sighed. She put the empty sake bottle collection in the trash, and started on last week's workload.

Exhausted, Sakura collapsed to the ground when Tsunade told her it was lunch time. She eyed her critically, "You did bring a lunch, didn't you?"

"No Sensei," Sakura gasped.

"Well, next time be prepared, we aren't stopping until 3:00, and then you have paperwork to do." Sakura cringed, how on earth was she supposed to live through this? Tsunade had made her do an exorbitant amount of exercise, beat the crap out of her with taijutsu practice, and drilled her with complicated theoretical questions about missions, politics, and fight scenarios. She closed her eyes and sighed. _This is the path I have chosen, I will no longer be weak and helpless. _

Tsunade considered the girl before her. She was certainly talented in intelligence, she had good answers for many of Tsunade's questions. However, even if she could work out a plan to win, (say a fight during a mission,) she didn't have the strength or ability to carry out her plan. This is going to take some work, but she has potential. And motivation, yes, her motivation shows strongly in her eyes, there is no doubt about that.

6 hours later

Sakura grimly contemplated her meal; she had fish, beans, a banana and a large slice of bread. She also had a large milkshake. She was exhausted, completely devoid of chakra, starving, and mentally drained. After lunch, Tsunade had tested her in ninjutsu, and seemingly dissatisfied with her skills - immediately taught her a new move and had her practice over and over, with the practice of many more to come. She also assigned her to practices with Kakashi, twice a week, (when he was available) to learn and practice a wide spectrum of jutsus. During her detention-like punishment for being late, she had to hold herself to the ceiling using her chakra-control in her feet - while filling out all Tsunade's paperwork with a clipboard.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sakura's eyes flickered up. "Hey Ino."

Ino peered at Sakura. She had never seen anyone with so little energy. Even when she had seen Kakashi in the hospital, he at least moved. Sakura looked like a potato with eyes. "You need to eat, Forehead. Want some help?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, and ate a bite. She glanced at Ino, she looked a little depressed. She could guess why. "Still mooning over Sasuske, Ino?" Sakura stifled the little spasm of pain his name triggered, she had start quelching these intense feelings if she was going to concentrate on training.

Ino glared at her. "Of course, unlike you, what I had for Sasuske was _**true**_ love."

"Come to the bathhouse with me Ino, I don't feel like arguing. I can barely think, let alone move."


	3. Chapter 2

Sasuske woke up feeling disgruntled

Sasuske woke up feeling disgruntled. He hadn't slept well, he had dreamed about Sakura again. This time, he saw he positively beaten up, looking absolutely miserable, and eating fish. Fish of all things! _Sakura hates fish. _He thought,_ if your going to dream about her at all, dream about her being happy, not eating things she doesn't like._ Sasuske's mind briefly flashed back to the day team 7 had their photo taken, she had been happy then. She had such a beautiful smile…. It always showed that she really was happy. She was always a bright and positive person. _I wish I could just see her one last time…_ He thought of their last meeting, and screwed his eyes shut again. He had been such a jerk! He wished he didn't have to spurn her efforts towards him. If nothing else, he wished they had been better friends. Guilt pulsed through him, why couldn't he just leave in friendship? _Why did I have to hurt her_?

He forced his mind to shut down then. He couldn't afford to think about Sakura too much, it brought too many painful emotions to the surface. He needed to keep his thoughts to himself, to never let anyone see what he was thinking. If he thought about Sakura too much, it would completely impair his efficiency. This is why he liked the early mornings best, because he could lie in bed and think about Sakura, for a brief time. Then he would bar all emotion from himself, become an impervious wall again, for the day's training. He sighed, this was going to be a long day. _I feel grumpy already_, Sasuske mused. He somewhat looked forward to bullying Kabuto, the idiot. He might be able to hit him a few times, if he got really grumpy…

Then he remembered what was on the schedule today. Hiru Banshō: Bōka no Jutsu (attack prevention technique – melt into your surroundings), it was one of Orochimaru's signature moves. Sasuske's mood instantly blackened. The air around him seemed darker and somewhat evil – solely from his temper.

Kabuto knocked on Sasuske's door. "Time to wake up Sasuske-kun!"

Kabuto _nearly_ dodged deadly projectile that flew at him. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough. He woke up a few hours later.

oooooooo0ooooooooooooo0oooooooooooooo0oooooooooooo0oooooooooo

(in a commercial type voice) "Meanwhile, we rejoin our heroes back in Konoha…"

Sakura was hunched over her desk, reading a scroll by the bright pool of light cast by her desk lamp. Her back was slightly hunched, and she had bags under her eyes. Her drooping eyes were slowly scanning the same few lines, seemingly not taking in anything. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, and Sakura jumped out of her skin, hit the ceiling, and fell back into her skin again. Only hearing the knock reminded her how quiet it was, it was already 2:30 in the morning. She yawned, and looking into the peephole to see who was bothering her. Too tired to be shocked, she saw Naruto, looking sheepish. She let him in.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" She couldn't really infuse much irritation in her voice, so she settled for yawning at him.

"Its just, I saw your light still on. I know you've been really busy Sakura-chan, and I wanted to make sure you were ok. Or, do you need some help with something?" He glanced around her apartment then, taking in the scrolls piled everywhere, the pages of notes, and general debris. He then took a closer look at her face. She looked terrible, her eyelids couldn't get more than half open, the bags under her eyes could have rivaled a vampire, and she was bent over, as if she would fall asleep against anything her body could find to support her.

"Nah, I don't think you can help, its mostly just studying for Tsunade. What are you doing up this late anyway, Naruto-kun? Want some tea or something?"

"Sure. I was actually training with Lee. We both lost track of time, and I saw your lights on when we got back from our 10 mile run. I figured I would check in on you, I haven't seen you in a while. Want to go grab some ramen? I'm starved!"

…. Sakura didn't say anything. She had put some water on the stove to boil, and sat down across from him.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

Naruto jumped up, but nothing seemed wrong with her. She still had a pulse, she was breathing… She was just… asleep? _She fell asleep in like, 2 seconds, sitting up!_ Naruto eyed her speculatively. He was sure if he picked her up to carry her to bed, she would sleep better. But… if she woke up while he was carrying her, well, he would probably be able to wheel himself out of the hospital in a month. _Well… I'll just be careful_. The expression "walking on glass" suddenly sprang to mind. Tentatively, he reached down to her, and very gently, lifted her up. Halfway to her bedroom, the water started to hiss, and he moved quicker now, panicking. He got her to her bed and under the covers just as the kettle started screaming. He ran and took it off the stove. He looked around to he door and saw…

.o…o…o..

…Nothing. She hadn't woken up. Relieved, Naruto started looking around for a clean tea cup. He couldn't actually find one, so he settled for a ramen cup instead. He didn't feel so bad for helping himself to her food when he saw her new diet plan on her fridge. Looks like Tsunade wants her to put on some muscle. His mind conjured up an image of Sakura with man-muscles. He grimaced. Looking around her messy kitchen, and table, he decided she needed a break. He decided to start with the kitchen, since she had absolutely no clean dishes left. He moved on to her living room, picking up her dishes and putting things away for her. Lastly, he peeked into the office she was working in before he came. _I shouldn't touch anything, I'll just mess it up_, he thought. But it really was a mess… He settled for just cleaning out the garbage and dishes, leaving her notes and scrolls and everything just as she had them, ordered chaos. The last thing he did before he left Sakura's apartment was turn off her alarm clock.

He skipped out to find Tsunade, pleased with himself.

ooooooooooooo0oooooooooooo0oooooooooooo0oooooooooooo0ooooooo

Sakura woke and stretched lazily. She felt warm and fuzzy, and very well rested. She rolled over, content. The she remembered that she wasn't supposed to feel good, she should feel like crap, and her eyes worked their way open. She stared at the clock. Something wasn't right… She definitely stayed up till like, 2:00 last night, so why was it back to 11:00? Then she noticed that it was 11… AM. Her mind, sensing doom, tried to shut down. Her body won this time, and she jumped out of bed and fell to the floor. "Nooooo! I don't want to clean toilets!"

Three floors below, a very normal man was entertaining his very normal boss with lunch. They were interrupted (and mildly scarred by) loud screams of: "Nooooo…. I don't want to clean up other people's poooooop!!"


	4. Chapter 3

"Is that all for today

"Is that all for today?" Sasuske asked Orochimaru. Orochimaru eyed him happily. Had any children seen his face, they would have run away screaming. Actually, probably a good number of adults would have too.

Used to Orochimaru's smiles and frightening expressions of pleasure, Sasuske waited, somewhat impatiently. Orochimaru was so slow! He needed to learn many new things, and Orochimaru seemed content to go at a snail's pace. He might just be trying to drag out the lessons to keep Sasuske interested while he waited around for a few years. But that meant he didn't have that many more jutsus to show him, and in that case…. Well, he wasn't sticking around Orochimaru for his personality, after all. _I have no intention of becoming your new body, you disgusting freak. I hate you. _Orochimaru said "You already learned two new jutsus today, maybe you can practice them some more instead of wearing yourself thin." Sasuske smirked a little. Orochimaru, thinking Sasuske was agreeing, said "I'll let you practice on Kabuto, if you like." Sasuske, realizing Orochimaru thought he had smiled at the idea of practicing, did an inner double-take. Wait… I get to practice on Kabuto? Sasuske smiled, (well, as close as we can call a smile, anyway. Maybe a friendly grimace?) this time smiling in response to what Orochimaru had said, rather than his own murderous thoughts. Not that beating up Kabuto qualified as anything but murderous thoughts, but… well, Kabuto doesn't really count when discussing murder.1

Orochimaru left Sasuske, rambling on about fixing up some yakitori for dinner. Sasuske turned to contemplate Kabuto, expressing his good mood by not scowling at Kabuto. Kabuto was somewhat frightened at the lack of animosity. Little did he know it was the animosity that had Sasuske in such a good mood, he was just happy about being able to physically express his feelings for Kabuto. Sasuske quickly summoned a horde of snakes, which effectively rooted Kabuto to the spot. Taking his time, Sasuske focused his chakra to perform Rakanken, the Nirvana fist.

About five minutes later, Sasuske lazily jumped into some surrounding trees. He ran off to his secret place. _Orochimaru is such an idiot, it only takes a minute to incapacitate Kabuto, lazy weakling._ Sasuske could hardly complain, however. If Orochimaru wasn't going to bother teaching him new jutsus, he might as well make good use of his own time. Typically, he spent his free time studying scrolls and working on his new jutsu, but today he was distracted. He looked around the clearing in the woods. It wasn't much, just a little patch of forest where the briars and other trees left him relatively isolated, yet still enough space in between the trees to move about. A patch of sunlight was floating down to the middle of the clearing, and the sounds of the nearby stream mingled with the hummings of forest activity. He strolled to the sunlight and lay down. This place made him nostalgic every time he came, today he thought of Shikamaru. He wished he were here to keep him company as he gazed out at the clouds, thinking about Konoha. _Home,_ He thought. It was like an open wound. Thinking about it was taboo, of course, but here in the clearing, there was no one to see what he was feeling.

As usual, his thoughts drifted to Sakura. He wondered how she was doing. Was she with Naruto? Maybe she was on a mission with Kakashi and him? Had they filled the vacancy in team seven yet? I hope Naruto's doing a good job. He better take care of Sakura. Maybe, maybe with me gone… Maybe Sakura might move on. Maybe… Maybe she would be with Naruto, he would look after her. He sighed. If he had stayed with Sakura like she asked, he couldn't finish what his brother started, he would never finish it. But since he left, Sakura might get involved with another guy… _This is so wrong! Its like I am trying to live on only half of my self! I can't stand it! I miss Sakura too much, its like every time I close my eyes, its like she is here, begging me to return. Every time I open them again, I decide to go back to her_! Objective Sasuske marveled for a minute at the war his spirit was raging. Much more stress and he would explode. Maybe he would anyway, just to give Orochimaru a fright.

He sighed, thinking again of Shikamaru_. Lucky fool, he probably spends half his day's cloud gazing_. With another sigh, he got to his feet. Kabuto was sure to have regained consciousness by now. Soon, he would finish regrowing himself and come looking for Sasuske. There was no way Sasuske was letting all themfolks know he went off to be by himself. And if they ever found his special place, well, he might just kill them.

Maybe when he got back to his room he could work some more on developing his new jutsu.

ooooooooooooo0oooooooooooo0oooooooooooooo0ooooooooooooo0oooooo

Meanwhile, back in Konoha…

Sakura ran out of her bedroom, frantically looking around for something to grab to eat. She couldn't find any food immediately, which made actually look at her surroundingsSakura stared at the room she was in. Had she sleepwalked into someone else's house? No…. this must be her apartment, all her stuff was here, but…

Something was wrong, she couldn't quite put her finger on it… but one thing struck her as a little odd… she could see the floor. Hm… am I dreaming about before I started training with Tsunade? Feeling stupid, she pinched herself. She couldn't really feel it… maybe I am dreaming? Only in a dream would I do something so cliché. She pinched herself again, using chakra. "Ow!!" Ok, so what was going on, if she was actually awake? She spotted a piece of paper on a rather forlorn looking clean counter. It was from Naruto, and it read:

Sakura, I hope you enjoyed your rest. I cleaned up a bit after you passed out on me. I

hope you don't mind, but I ate some of your cup ramen. I actually ate more than half

of it, sorry! I'll pay you back after my next mission… Anyway! See you soon!

Oh, and I talked to Tsunade. Don't worry, I told her you were sick and couldn't come

into work today, so don't freak out about being late. And don't punch me either! You

really were sick! Sort of… Anyway, enjoy your day off!

Naruto


	5. Chapter 4

2 weeks later…

Two weeks had gone by, and for Sakura, it was mostly the same as before her apprenticeship, except for the minor difference of her insane workload, rigorous physical training and intense studying. She was now settled happily into something of a routine. Every morning she got up at 3:00 am and reviewed the nights scrolls. She then went to Tsunade's office for 4:00 to practice various aspects of healing. Tsunade's viewpoint on this was that if she was to concentrate healing people in battle, she needed practice healing at her least functioning time of day. Tsunade cannot be compared to a morning person, not unless the morning person happened to have slept so much that it was the next morning's morning. No, in the mornings Tsunade usually left a Shizune to look after Sakura. After training all morning, Sakura would have an hour's worth of lunch break. She usually spent these catching up on sleep, homework, or completely zoning out in the bathhouses. Then it went straight into physical training with Tsunade herself. This was the most exhausting part of the day; Tsunade left her no room to breathe, let alone complain. Most days, Tsunade attacked Sakura for the first hour or two, intending to sharpen up Sakura's defensive skills. Then they would move on to other ninja skills. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday Sakura would be assigned a new ninjutsu to learn. Tuesday's and Thursdays were for Genjutsu, and she practiced Taijutsu on every day ending with "y." To finish up her day, Sakura "helped" Tsunade with her Hokage duties. This meant that Sakura would do most of the work while Tsunade drank Sake or slacked off. Really, Tsunade was quite like Shikamaru.

Today was strange for Sakura. Walking down the street, she felt a little off. Her inner self wasn't screaming at her, and her back didn't feel like it was burning from pain anymore. She couldn't quite place what felt wrong… _maybe I'm was getting sick, or I am just stressed?_ _But no, that can't be it. If anything, my work is getting easier… now that I know the basics, I can really understand what's going on._ She was a little puzzled, but she eventually decided she was just less tired than usual. That would account for why she felt so weird. She hadn't felt well rested in, well, too long. It felt like years to her. She had done so much training it was insane. Normally, it would take years for someone to achieve her level, but she managed it in a few short weeks. Perhaps it was because of Tsunade's excellent tutorage, or because of Sakura's intelligence, or sheer desperation. Whatever the case, she could already feel the difference of actually having muscle. Tsunade's diet had also helped to build up Sakura. This accounted for Sakura feeling better rested, she wasn't a complete weakling anymore.

The truth was she was getting stronger. She couldn't see it herself, because she just couldn't notice the difference under her current workload. But she was improving. She could already keep up with the basic training routine Tsunade had tried to kill her with in the first few weeks. She was also able to take on extra training with certain Jounins, each of which helped teach her some special ability. For instance, Gai helped her with Taijutsu every Tuesday, and Kakashi tutored her in Genjutsu on Saturdays. But it was more than that, she was maturing too. She only noticed the difference because she was slowly becoming more aware of herself, and it frightened her. She was only just beginning to realize how much she thought about Sasuske, and how much she thought about more important things. The comparison was like a drop of water to a lake. She really needed to spend her lake of thoughts on other things. _If only I can spend so much brainpower on my studies, I can gain true skill and advance!_

Perhaps Sakura sought out Tsunade now because of the intelligence Tsunade had already proved. Tsunade's training regimen was proof enough; the advancement Sakura made in just three weeks was astounding. Not to mention Tsunade was the **Hokage**. Maybe it was because Tsunade was more like a mother to Sakura than her own civilian mother. Either way, Sakura was in trouble, and the only person she could think of to help her was Tsunade. Sakura trusted Tsunade, so even though she was frightened of Tsunade herself, she needn't be worried about anyone else knowing her secret. She just might punch her for being stupid, but she would never rat Sakura out. Now all Sakura had to do was figure out how to tell Tsunade. She paused, about to knock on Tsunade's door, and tried to plan what to say.

"Come in, Sakura! Stop standing out there like an idiot!" Sakura jumped. Blushing, she opened the door and timidly stepped inside. Tsunade looked up at Sakura. The girl obviously had something on her mind, it was painfully clear in how Sakura was blushing, fidgeting and looking at the ground. Tsunade sighed. She could guess what this was all about. It can only be one of two things, Naruto, or…

"Its about Sasuske. Look, Tsunade-shishou, I am completely in love with him. Since he left, I've been trying my hardest to get over him, but I don't know how! I've tried everything, I've trained, studied, worked, everything! I just can't get him out of my head. I need your help, how do I stop obsessing over him?" A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek. It fell with a soft _plip_.

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes. How do I say this? She wondered. She tured in her chair and looked out over Konoha. Still facing the window, she asked, "Sakura, why do you want to become a medic?"

Sakura blinked, this was a bit of a change of subject. "Um… to become an asset to the village with my talent, since I'm not really good at anything else." She felt rather pathetic as she said the last bit, and blushed again.

"But why? Why do you care about the village at all? What is driving you to become better?"

"Well, because I don't want to let my teammates down. I want to help them, and make sure they can count on me. I can't let Naruto run around after Sasuske all alone, after all. But, what does this have to do with my first question, about Sasuske?"

Tsunade turned around to look at Sakura again. "Sakura, it has everything to do with Sasuske. I understand why you want to get him out of your head, but consider this," She paused, thinking. "Look, if you didn't love Naruto, would you be trying so hard to become your best, just to help him when he's in trouble?"

"No, but…"

"Well Sakura, this is my point: Don't get over Sasuske. Don't even try. Keep your memories of him precious and close to your mind. If you can remember why you are trying so hard, you can have something to drive you on. Look at Naruto, he used to burn up with motivation when he competed with Sasuske training. Sakura, if you can become a top-level kunoichi, you can help out Sasuske. Don't forget him, just don't let him distract you too much. But Sakura, you need to be happy too. If you can, let his memory live in your head and not your heart. He may not come back at all. Don't let him have control of your head _and_ your heart."

Tsunade looked away. She didn't want to see what Sakura's face would tell her. A strange noise made her look up again. Sakura was crying, but it was something that didn't quite fit right… It reminded her too much of someone else, but… Naruto? She looked just like Naruto, completely torn-up but completely motivated. It was as if Inner Sakura was actually an inner pokemon, and had just evolved two levels in one go. She slammed her fist into her hand. "Tsunade-shishou, may I please have the day off to train with Kakashi-sensei?"

Well, clearly Tsunade had nothing to worry about. Except all her paperwork that she as behind on, _but Shizune can take care of that._

"Yes Sakura, and deliver him this scroll while you're at it."

oooOoooOooo

Kakashi turned the page. He felt content, or as content as you can be when you are sitting inside someone's ear. Needless to say, he felt fine, it was a nice day out and this was only his third time reading the latest Icha Icha book, so it was relatively new material. He giggled and squinted his eye, turning the page again. Suddenly, he felt very… worried. He looked up to see a silhouette looking down at him from the top of the Hokage monument. He slipped his book into his bag, and attempted to slide inconspicuously down the side of the face. A hand grabbed the material at the back of his neck, effectively stopping his movement. "Kakashi-sensei, going somewhere? Look, please help me. I need you to teach me all you know about Sasuske's fighting style, your Sharingan will have picked up more than I ever could."

Kakashi sighed. Another peaceful day interrupted with training. Well, at least it was Sakura, and not Gai or someone. Still, he better make sure he didn't accidentally run into one of them… "Sakura, go check out what training grounds are open, we need one rathr remote, ok?" "Hai."

As Sakura disappeared, Kakashi performed a transformation jutsu. He followed Sakura, and together they went to the training grounds.

oooOoooOooo


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sakura couldnt figure it out. It was like when you see that cousin whose name you never remember. You know them, but you dont. Who was this familiar face? She reached up and touched her eyes, and the person she was examining did the same. She checked her hair. Feeling a little silly, she flexed her muscles, and so did that mysterious person. _ Could this really be me?_

She certainly had the same basic features - the pink hair was a dead giveaway. But the Sakura in the mirror was so different than the person Sakura imagined when thinking of herself. The bags were gone from her eyes, her hair had a glossy, healthy sheen. Her arms had a subtle muscle in them, not grotesque like a steroid abuser, but defined like a healthy female who worked hard. She exuded healthiness, it leaked from her skin and seemed to make her glow.

_What happened to me?_

Apparently, Tsunades plan had worked. How else could weeks of rigorous training (*cough* torture) and supreme work overload make a stronger, healthier looking person. Weeks of stress and impossibly hard work = good? This is good news for masochists - pain makes you stronger! And healthy! But bad news for relatively wimpy kunoichis. Luckily, Sakura is no longer in the "relatively wimpy" class of ninjas. She can now proudly boast "average" status, and combined with her advanced intelligence, she could even be considered a "really good ninja!"

All that stands in her way to becoming a truly excellent kunoichi is herself.

ooooo0ooooo.....ooooo0ooooo.......ooooo0ooooo

The pitiful slapping sounds slowly fade away, as yet another fish miraculously.... fails to be healed by the frustrated kunoichi. Sakura picks up the fish, and throws it into the container destined for the popular sushi restaurant down the street. Its almost full, and Sakura stares at it mournfully for a minute, before heaving a great sigh and sitting down. Tsunade peers over at her knowingly, and flips a butterfinger bar over at her. Sakura catches it automatically, before realizing what she was just given. She looks up, confused.

"Look over your notes again and target what area you fail in, and work harder on that."

Sakura sighed, the part she was having trouble with was the whole 'stopping the fish from dying' thing. She unwrapped the butterfinger's packaging, thinking over what she had done.  
Remove dead cells, check Cool inflammation, check Target the living epithelial cells, check. Infuse chakra to regenerate cells, and promote cell division, check.  
Form fibers to connect wound, check.

_I didnt miss anything. What went wrong?_

She took a bite, thinking. _What went wrong if all the steps were followed properly, but the fish still died. The wound healed, at least superficially, but something still caused the fish to die.  
The healing wasnt fast enough?_ Maybe the healing process wasnt strong enough? She took another bite, eyes wandering around the lab. Her eyes fell on Shizune, who was installing a new fishtank. It was a bit distracting to be honest, trying to focus when you can hear things clacking and sloshing. Having spent a lot of time near the fishtanks lately, Sakura knew a thing or two about them. Seeing Shizune in obvious difficulty, Sakura peered over to see what the problem was. Her frustration seemed to be with the plastic plants. It was difficult to scoop the gravel out of the way, cover the base of the plant, and retain the general shape of the gravel flooring. A pile of plants yet to be put in sat next to the tank, she obviously had a way to go.  
Another bite. Sakura considered, it would have made things seriously easier if Shizune had put all the plants where she wanted, and THEN put the gravel in. It made sense to have the gravel in first, in order to ground the plants, but in the overall picture, it was just easier to get the plants in place before securing them with the gravel.  
She took another bite, then swore. Stupid butterfinger bar, theres no way that was a long as it should have been. She looked at her finger sadly, seeing the impressions her teeth had made on her skin.

Why couldnt she figure out how to heal the fish as easily as setting up a fishtank? She tried to think of it obectively, as with the tank. Was there a problem with her chakra? _No, that cant be it, I can feel it making the changes I want._ What could it be? Maybe the method? The book specifically listed the objectives in that specific order. _Maybe the process to heal a fish is different than for humans, and thats where the problems lie. ...Maybe, maybe each situation is a little different. Maybe each time things need to be changed, the process tweaked, depending on what the problem is. _

Tsunade looked up as Sakura sighed, again. Sakura was hunched over the lab bench, massaging her forehead.

"Get your head in the game Sakura. Imagine that fish Naruto, and he is dying. You can't fail, you dont have a choice. You WILL heal him, or he WILL die. Its Naruto, and he needs you. Got it?"

Sakura straightened her uniform, and selected an orange fish to work on next. With a little imagination, she realised that naruto had done a transformation jutsu, and gotten injured while he was still a fish. Sakura eyed the cut critically, it was definitly fatal. She had minutes, if that.

Maybe, just to see what happens, she should screw with the process. First, remove dead tissue. _Ok, well, ill leave that till later... next...._ Cool inflammation. _Well, it cant hurt to do that first._  
She performed the hand signs, and held her bubble of chakra over the flopping fish. The inflammation visibly reduced, and she looked at her notes for the next instruction. Next listed was to target the living cells and promote new cell growth, but she still hadnt eliminated the dead cells. She decided to improvise, more. She targeted the living cells and started slow growth, and at the same time removed the dead cells, but only the ones that restricted the new growth.

Tsunade watched, amused, as Sakura worked frantically over the orange fish. The poor girl was mumbling to herself, her disconnected words didnt make any kind of sense. Apart from the strange behavior, she was certainly getting better, and hopefully the incentive of saving naruto-fish would spark some success.

"YES!" Sakura leaped up in victory, punching her fists into the air and grinning in a manic, frightening way. "YES! I DID IT YES YES YES YES!

NONONONONONONONONONO!

Tsunade looked up, knowing what had happened. Sakura managed to heal the wound, but failed to heal the interior muscles and stop the bleeding in time, thus killing the fish. On the plus side, she did manage to heal the fish a little bit, and that was a huge success. She just needed to repeat the same process, but faster, and with more skill. She was improving at an impressive pace.

"Noooooooooo....! Im sorry fishy! I didnt mean to kill you Naruto!!!!"

ooooo0oooo....oooo0oooo...oooo0ooooo

Downtown in ichiraku, Naruto sneezed.


	7. Chapter 6

Her stomach dropped, her heart rate accelerated, and her breathing stuttered into short gaspy-breaths. She backed up, feeling behind her for the doorknob; she knew that look, and she was afraid.  
Im in some serious trouble!  
Tsunade barely resisted rolling her eyes at the slightly comical reaction of her pupil. Honestly, all she did was look at her. _Sheesh, you'd think I was a vampire looking for a blood donation or something. Tch. Honestly_. Tsunade raised her hand, and Sakura took another step back and actually opened the door.

"Sakura! Stop messing around! Get in here and close the door!"

Sakura flinched and cowered, shutting the door, but not moving forward any more than was strictly necessary. Tsunade couldnt help it, her eyes rolled at this. She sighed.

"Im not going to eat you Sakura. I just have a mission for you." She held up her hand again, showing Sakura the scroll. Sakura glanced up. _Just a mission? _Then what was the creepy 'Your-in-some-deep-crap' look for?

"Whats the catch?"

Tsunade tried out the innocent look she'd been practicing. "Who says theres a catch?"  
If Sakura hadn't been as frightened as a rabbit that was trapped in a car with a dozen foxes, she might have rolled her eyes. Well, she probably still would not have rolled her eyes, at least not at THIS woman. Eye rolling at her sensei usually was followed by head-rolling. Figuratively speaking of course.

Sakura decided to play 'dumb,' (A natural talent of hers, actually). "Oh, I just figured there might be a catch, since you are telling me this personally, rather than just sending a scroll." No need to mention the general aura of mal-intent swirling around the chair Tsunade sat in, the 'Your-in-some-deep-crap' look, the laughable 'innocent' expression Tsunade failed to pull off, and the tickle along her spine that told Sakura whatever this mission was, something was bad about it.

"Oh. Well, Sakura, its really no big deal to tell you in person since I see you everyday anyway. Its no big deal, an easy mission, with decent pay too. Nothing at all to worry about. This mission should be a cakewalk for someone of your intelligence. It'll be like a little vacation for you, I wont even give you any homework while your gone. Easy-Peasy."

Even after this (reassuring) statement, Sakura still felt a little... unconvinced. For one thing, Tsunade had said 'no big deal' twice. Clearly, she was playing down something. Another thing, when did Tsunade NOT give homework? There was a catch somewhere in there, she could almost smell it. Time to fish it out.

"Ok! Sounds great, when do I leave?" She took the scroll from her teacher. The outside of the scroll read "CLASS C MISSION - POSSIBLE CLASS B - Recon, Retrieval, Other." _Possible class B? What happened to it being a cakewalk?_ She took a steadying breath, and opened and carefully unfurled the scroll. The first line made her groan, the second made her gasp in horror, and the third would have knocked out her previous self. As it was, the 'new' Sakura still managed to feel a little faint. "...no. ....Please, no," she whimpered pathetically.

Tsunade hid the pity she felt for the girl, saying coldly; "It is what it is Sakura, your a shinobi, suck it up. You are specifically required for this mission, obviously. All other eligible shinobi are on other missions. I will require weekly reports, it should take around 3-5 weeks, and you will abort the mission after 2 months at my say-so. Take the rest of the day and get ready, you'll be leaving tomorrow at 6 AM. Got it?"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura bowed and left quickly.

oooooooooooooo0ooooooooOoooooooo0oooooOooooooo0oooooooooooo

Sasuke suddenly felt a strange animosity towards Naruto and Lee. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt that, somehow, they would be doing and enjoying something Sasuke would not approve of. Something Sasuke would hate. Something to make him beat them into a pulp, and then sell them as orange juice. Naruto at least. Lee would be green juice. He tried to shake it off the inexplicable spontaneous evil intentions, what could they possibly do to make him feel so violent? _Im spending too much time alone, my imagination is running wild again._

He looked around. This place wasn't as nice as his last secret glen, but Orochimaru had relocated them all and this was the best Sasuke could find. Of course, it was very beautiful, in its own way. He had just preferred the sun and the clouds to this... cave. He sat on a rocky outcropping, overlooking a small underground pool of water. A little ways away, the slight trickling of the small waterfall gave music to the otherwise silent underground haven. A small amount of light permeated the cave from an unseen crevice, and it caught on the moving water, reflected off the hues of the rock wall and gems, making a sparkling, colorful display. For a cave, it was very beautiful.

Just not as beautiful as the thriving plant life and serenity of the forest glade. Not as soothing as the quiet hum of life all around. Sasuke wouldnt admit to himself that he was homesick, but he did miss the trees, the green, the life of Konoha. Here, everything was rocks and water. It was so... quiet. Forlorn, colorless. He felt lonely. Kabuto can't be considered good company, and hanging around Orochimaru for company was just laughable. Now that he was away from them, Sasuke realised just how many friends he had, (not that he would admit to missing them though). He thought again of Naruto and Lee. (((I wonder what they are up to now?)))

ooooooooOoooooooooo0oooooooooooOooooooooooo0oooooooooooOooooooooo0oooooooooOoooooooooo

Class C Mission - Possible Class B - Recon, Retrieval, Other

Team leader Haruno Sakura, with Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee, and Sai.  
Gather information/evidence at Bliss (Gentleman's club/massage parlor) on target, suspected to have abducted several low-class kunoichis of neighboring countries. Haruno will be employed as a seasoned massage specialist at the club to gather information from the regular clientele. Teammates to gather information from other means available, and act as customers of Haruno's at Bliss in order to keep up regular communication and information exchange with Haruno.

Mission Objectives:  
1. Gather hard evidence on target and accomplices (if any)  
2. If sufficient evidence is gathered according to class 3 kidnapping standards, tract target(s) and detain, bring to Konoha for questioning. 3. Search for missing kunoichis, if alive, emancipate and bring to Konoha for questioning. If dead, consult Hokage for further instruction.

Target(s): Mitsude, first name unknown, civilian (non-shinobi), no personal information available. Possible accomplices. Suspected in the abduction of 12+? missing kunoichis of genin-rank, from countries outside Konoha. Possible civilian abductions. Location: Bliss, City of Leaves, Wind Country.


End file.
